Reader Letters | Private prisons, immigration reform, exotic animals

Private prisons

Finally, some good news in The Courier-Journal Wednesday. A glaring form of profiting from human misery will stop, for now, in Kentucky. The state is not renewing the last contract with a private prison company that ran the Marion Adjustment Center and for the first time the state will not incarcerate anyone in privately run prisons.

Next steps: Let's stop caging our social problems. Let's stop the school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately impacts young people of color and implement restorative justice principles while providing our schools the resources to assure a quality education for all of our children moving from diversity to equity. Let's stop the war on drugs, which is actually a war on the poor, and treat drug use as a public health issue. Let's universally restore voting rights for all ex-felons and get rid of "the box" on job applications. And let's end our involvement in wars and occupations abroad then invest in human needs while honoring human rights at home and around the world.

Anyone on board with that plan?

DAVID J. LOTT

Louisville 40204

Immigration reform

The biggest obstacle to immigration reform is a disregard for the law on both sides of the border. Those who break the law are criminals. Those who fail to uphold the law are equally criminal. There are too many journalists and politicians directly and indirectly aiding and abetting criminal activity for ill-gotten gain.

MIKE KLEIER

Louisville 40245

Building walls

So! The Republican Congress, who loved Ronald Reagan when he stood in Berlin and urged Mikhail Gorbechev to "TEAR DOWN THIS WALL" now want to build a wall of their own on our Southern border. Some of them want it wired so anyone trying to cross will be electrocuted. With 20,000 additional guards they can stand, shoulder to shoulder, a mere 250 feet apart. That should make it easy to get a clear shot at anyone trying to make a run for a better life.

If people would stop and think, they would realize that none of the people who have attacked us have come from South of the border. Most of the 9/11 pilots came from Saudi Arabia, our "friends and allies." Our efforts would be better spent looking at young radicals who want to come here to "study." I'm far more concerned about young men coming through JFK than some kid trying to swim the Rio Grande.

CONSTANCE STORY

Louisville 40205

Exotic animals in Indiana

No one should be surprised by a leopard wandering around Charlestown ("Leopard is shot, killed by landowner on property in Charlestown," June 22). With some of the weakest laws regarding exotic pet ownership in the nation, Indiana has become a haven for owners, breeders and dealers of dangerous wild animals. The private ownership of tigers, lions, bears and primates has ended in tragedy time and time again - for people and for the animals.

A series of similar incidents highlights the need for strong legislation to restrict the trade and private ownership of dangerous wild animals. Two adult tigers escaped from an Idaville menagerie and were ultimately shot and killed. In Flat Rock, tigers were found living in six inches of mud, feces and urine at a private collection. At a tattoo parlor in Gary, tigers were fed only every other day and ultimately confiscated from cages they were able to escape from, posing a significant threat to public safety.

As more states pass strong policies to protect animals and the public, Indiana should follow this trend. I hope our lawmakers take action before we see tragedy strike in one of our communities.

ERIN HUANG

Indianapolis, Ind. 46247

Erin Huang is Indiana state director for The Humane Society of the United States. - Editor

Shoe problems

Thank you, Pam Platt, for the article on women and their "stupid shoes." It is entertaining to watch women hobble in them. I admit to laughing hysterically when models crash on the catwalk. Check YouTube. Like Pam, I wore those big wedges in the 1970s, but my arthritic knees and painful feet have forced me to look for alternative shoe styles with little luck. At one point, my daughter commented that all my footwear was rubber or plastic. Love those Crocs! I bet a woman invented them. I also wear ZCoils which are the ugliest and most comfy shoes on Earth. They do set off metal detectors, though.

What do Jimmy Choo, Christian Louboutin, Stuart Weitzman, Alexander McQueen and Manolo Blahnik have in common? They are men who design crippling shoes for women. Think these guys would teeter around in them? Not. Wearing such shoes makes a woman unable to run from an attacker. If you spend $300 for these, you should consider packing heat. Also, encourage your children to pursue a career in orthopedics or podiatry, because in 20 years, women will be suffering.

LINDA SPARROW

Louisville 40206

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Reader Letters | Private prisons, immigration reform, exotic animals

Finally, some good news in The Courier-Journal Wednesday. A glaring form of profiting from human misery will stop, for now, in Kentucky.